Country singer Chase Rice is opening up about an emotional conversation with his mother after he publicly revealed that he was sexually abused as a child.
During an Oct. 27 appearance on the “Take Back Ocala” podcast, Rice, 41, recalled talking with his mother after he discussed the abuse publicly for the first time in a June 2025 interview.
Rice, who competed on “Survivor: Nicaragua” before launching his country music career, said his mother asked him to call her and began crying during their conversation. She told him she “had no idea” what had happened.
“She had an idea, and she knew it was a wrong part of my life and that we dealt with it the wrong way, but she’d never heard me say it,” Rice said.
Rice said he remembered speaking with his mother when he returned from a church camp where he said the abuse took place. He did not disclose at which age the abuse occurred.
Chase Rice performs at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival held at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“But man, it was weird because it was a moment where you’re talking to your mom again about this thing that you’ve been so scared to even address your whole life,” Rice said. “A lot of me went back into like, ‘Oh, [expletive], I’m in trouble.’ And it wasn’t that. And you know it’s not gonna be, but it was her apologizing.”
Rice said he reassured his mother that what happened wasn’t her fault.
“At the same time it’s like, ‘It wasn’t your fault, Mom.’ Stuff happened that was wrong. It’s okay. I’m facing it now. It’s making me stronger now.”
Rice also discussed his struggles with sexual addiction and alcoholism, saying that overcoming them has given him confidence moving forward.
“Not even just saying ‘no’, but if you can beat it over time and with the right people and with Jesus, literally nothing can stop you,” he said. “You’re good from that point on.”
Chase Rice says abuse ‘doesn’t define who I am now’
The “Eyes On You” singer said he attended a men’s retreat in 2017 that allowed him to confront much of what he experienced as a child. Eight years later, Rice was able to discuss the abuse publicly.
“I was molested as a little kid,” Rice told hosts Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles during a June 2025 appearance on the “In the Blinds” podcast.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever said that in public, and I’m okay with saying that ’cause I went through that and relived it,” Rice said. “I’m like, man, I was just a kid. I had nothing to do with that.”
He added: “It doesn’t define who I am now.”
Rice said working through the experience remains an ongoing process. “I’ve never looked at one moment and been like, ‘That was it.'”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and Spanish via chat and at 800-656-4673. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chase Rice reflects on childhood abuse, talk with mother
